Canadian province Ontario legalizes brothels

In a landmark ruling, the province of Ontario’s top court legalized brothels and will allow prostitutes to have security staff to protect them.

Ontario's top court has legalized brothels in a ruling that is meant to protect the safety of sex workers. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Ontario's top court has legalized brothels in the Canadian province, a ruling that is meant to protect the safety of sex workers.

The landmark decision taken Monday, decided that the dangerous work of prostitution could be made more safe if it occurred under one roof with security staff, reported the Globe and Mail.

The Appeals Court of Ontario said that some of the country's anti-prostitution laws were unconstitutional as they restricted the prostitute's ability to protect themselves — a ruling already made by a lower court in 2010 but appealed by the provincial and federal governments.

The court also said that it would re-model the law against pimps, which prohibits living off the work of others by adding "in circumstances of exploitation," reported PostMedia News.

This is thought to allow violent or manipulative pimps to be arrested, while permitting prostitutes to be able to hire drivers and security staff for their safety.